Knot-picking machine



Sept. 6, 192,7. I F. NILSSON KNOT PICKING MACHINE Filed March i0. 192emvENroR "ATroRNEY' Patented Sept. 6, 1927..

U N l FREEMAN NILSSON, 0F TROY, NEW YGRK, ASSIGNOR TO THE IVIONARCI-IBRUSH CO., OF TROY, NEW YORK, A.CGRPORATION OF NEW 'YORQ Knorr-Proximaivracnnvn.

Application mea Marci; 1o, 1926. serial no. 93,552.

Another object of this invention is to pro-V vide a knot picking machinewherein means is provided for forming a knot of bristles or the like,said means including an adjustable feature whereby the size of the knot`that is formed can be readily controlled.

Another object of this invention is to provide a knot picking machinehaving a hopper or the like to hold a bulk supply of bristles, and meansfor feeding the bristles to Aa transfer member or similar device andarranged in a novel manner to insure the most effective movement orfeedv ofthe bristles toward said transfer member. n

Another object of this invention is to provide a picking machinecomprising a hopper to hold a bulk supply of bristles and a transfermember to form a knot, a keeper or the like being provided having meanscooperating in a novel manner with the transfer member to facilitate theformation of the knot and the retention thereof by the transfer memberuntil the knot is in positionr to be removed by the operator.

TvVith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose ofillustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate thesame parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a view inelevation of the machine with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a fractional view of a machine showing the transfer memberoperated to' form a knot. `i

Fig.V 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

n Fig. tis an enlarged detail view on the line ,L1-11 of'Fig. 2.

'Referring now more specifically to theI drawings l show my invention asmounted upon a suitable table or support 10 and com prising an uprightmember or wall l1 vto which are fastened side walls -12 and 13 to form asort ofopen boX structure. The sideV walls are supported by the member11` in spaced relation to the base or support 10.k

Guide means ltor the like are mounted i11- wardly of the side walls asshown so as to receive a vertically slidable weight or feed member 15which'may be provided at its upper end with an iron weight member 16 orthe like. Extendingtransversely of the hopper or box construction isa'ltransverse member or slide 17 to which are secured along its loweredge and at the opposite sides thereof the bars 18 which cooperat`e withsuitable guide means 19 to permit the transversev member to be movedwith respectto the hopper and in fixed elevated relation thereto. Theguide means 19 yare seen to comprise a plurality of posts or the likewhich are cylindrical in form and are recessed aty 2O toprovide circulargrooves to receive the guide bars 1S. The guide means 19 are mounted inany suitable relation and preferably rest directly upon the 'support 10.Screws 21 or the like may be passed axially through theguide means sovas to fasten the guide means to the support 10. A bulk supply ofbristles 22 is placed into the hopper with the bristles lying inorderlyy arrangement side by side and extending in transverse relationto the transfermember and resting upon the upper edge thereof, and thefeed member 15 is then brought vto bean upon the upper surface of thebulk supply so as to retain the bristles in uniform and reliable contactwith the transfer member. The lower edge 23 ofthe feed member isinclined at an angle with the horizontal so as to insure a more positivefeed of thejbristles toward the transfer member, the lower corner ofsaid edge acting for this purpose in the manner of a wedge which isdownwardlyr projected and exercises a force in the direction of arrow awhich is the generaldirection of movement of the bristles when thetransfer member is operated as will be described hereinafter. Thetransfer member is pro-k vided with a slot 24 which is positionedso yits lower end extending in a direction opposite to that of arrow wherebythe movement of the transfer member as described vvvill have the effectof causing the acute angle tongue 2f; formed at the slot to readilyseize hold of the bristles and cause them to be packed snugly into theslot.

In order to render the size of the knot adjustable I provide a member27' which is borne by the slide and is movable with relation thereto andtransversely with respect to the slot so that the effective area of theslot for receiving the bristles can be thereby regulated. Morespecifically, the member 2'( will be seen to be substantiallysemi-circular in form and to be mount-ed upon a screw 28 Which iseccentric to the member. However, it will be understood that means maybe provided in a variety of different ways toV co-operate with thetransfer member to facilitate the control of the slot area although Ihave found the arrangement shown to be the simplest and most desirablefor my purpose.

Akeeper 29 is mounted so as to have `contact with the transfer memberalong the upper edge thereof, said keeper having one of its ends beveledat 30 to provide an acute angle i dividing means for facilitating thesepara-tion of the knot from the bulk supply of4` bristles when thetransfer member is being moved in the direction of arrow Z). Morespecifically, said keeper may be seen to comprise what is in the natureof a wedge or'tong'ue at 30 which has snug contact with the upper edgeof the transfer member at its end or point so as to effectively dividethe knot from the bulk supply of bristles without causing any binding ofthe co-operating parts and in order to insure that the different knotsformed will be of uniform size for the particular adjustment of themachine. After a knot has been separated from the bulk supply ofbristles the keeper acts to retain the knot within the slot 24 until theknot has been moved by the transfer member into such position where itmay be conveniently withdrawn by the operator. In order to facilitatesuch withdrawal the keeper is provided with a slot 3l which is arrangedso as to register with the slot 24 as shown in Fig. 2 when the transfermemberA has beeen moved to its limiting position as shownin dotted linesin Fig. l. The knot may then expand partly into the slot 31 and thecompression n thereon which resulted from the action of tl'ie feedmember 15 and the vacute angle tongue 26 when the knot was being formedis released so that the knot can be withdrawn from the transfer memberwith ease and facility.

The keeper 29 is so mounted with respect to the transfer member thatirregularities which result either in course of manufacture or from thewearing of parts can be automatically taken up and the effect thereofeliminated. More specifically, the keeper mounted to have resilientcontact with the transfer member along the aforesaid edge thereof. Thusa bracket 32 is provided which is secured to a wall of the hopperconstruction and is arranged to support a plurality of downwardlyextending pins 33, the shanks whereof are received in the bores 34provided in the keeper, springs being positioned between the horizontalarm of the bracket and the keeper so as to exerta uniformly constantdownward force upon the keeper and press the same into resilient contactwith the transfer member. ifi. plurality of these spring devices areprovided in spaced relation along the keeper so as to improve theco-operation of the parts aforesaid. The pins 33 likewise act to retainthe keeper in fixed position with respect to the transfer member, noother fastening being necessary.

The side walls of the hopper will be seen to extend over the transfermember of the keeper so' as to insure that all the bristles of the b ulksupply will be yheld reliably within the hopper at the corners thereofwithout possibility of moving in undesired directions. Morespecifically, the wall l2 is slotted so as to receive and overlap thetransfer member at 36 while the wall 13 is slotted to overlap t-liekeeper at 37. There is consequently no possibility that any of thebristles may be caught in any of the moving parts and cause thev same tojamor otherwise catch in the machine and prevent a uniform movement andfeed of the bristles. Attention is likewise called in this respect y tothe simplified character of the structure whereby this result isaccomplished.

In order to render the machine operative in connection with bristles ofvdifferent lengths spacers 38 or the like are provided which can beinserted to lie vertically'in the hopper adjacent the wall 11 and insuch manner that the bulk supply of bristles will be supported upon theupper edge of the transfer member substantially midway between the endsofthe bristles. The spacers 38 may for this purpose assume the form offlat slabs of wood or the like.

Actuating means is provided to operate the transfer member in anysuitable manner so as to minimize the necessary effort on the part ofthe operator. Said actuating means includesl preferably a` spring 39which is upon a pin 41 secured to a side wall of the hopper. A bracket42 is secured to the support l() to receive a shaft 43 upon which awheel 44 is journaled, tension means in the form of a belt or strapbeing secured to the wheel as at 46 and to the transfer memberl at 47. Apedal 48 is pivotally mounted at 49 so as to operate the wheel by meansof a tension member or wire 50. Thus when a downward force is exertedupon the pedal the wheel is caused to rotate in the direction of arrow cand the transfer member moves in the direction of arrow b, the spring 39being` compressed as shown in Fig. 2. Upon movement of the knot from thetransfer member and release of the pedal the spring will be operativefor returning` the transfer member to its initial unoperated position soas to receive another knot of bristles. Stop members 51 and 52 arearranged upon the support l0 in any suitable manner so as to control thelimits of movement of the transfer member.

I claim:

l. In a knot picking machine, a slidable ,Y transfer member movabletransversely of the bristles and adjacent to the same and havv ing aslot at an edge thereof to receive a knot of bristles when so moved, anda semi-circular cam pivoted eccentrically upon and borne by saidtransfer member at a side thereof adjacent to the slot and rotatablewith respect thereto transversely whereby the effective area of the slotfor receiving said bristles canl be adjusted and the size of the knotreceived therein regulated.

2. In a knot picking machine, a slidable transfer' member movabletransversely of the bristles7 said transfer member- `vbeing arranged tosupport the bristles upon an edge thereof and having` a slot at saidedge to receive a knot of bristles, a keeper member having snug contactwith the transfer member at said edge and serving to retain the knot insaid slot when the transfer member is moved to separate the knot fromthe bulk supply of bristles, said keeper having a notch positioned so asto register with the slot in the transfer member when the latter hasreached a predetermined point in its movement in course of the formationof a knot whereby a greater slot area is obtained and the removal of theknot from the transfer member thus facilitated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREEMAN NILSSON.

